Special Feature: Student Photographers
February 7, 2016
Senior Hannah Timmermann
For senior Hannah Timmermann, photography is about self-expression and living in the moment.
“I like to take pictures when people aren’t paying attention. These are memories that they don’t even realize that they have,” Timmermann said.
Timmermann was first exposed to photography by her grandparents, who gave her a camera as a present and taught her everything she knows. In high school, Timmermann went on to pursue more photography classes. However, she now takes photos independently.
“I took a lot of photography classes because my grandmother wanted me to, and it was a lot of staging things and taking pictures to take pictures, and there wasn’t a meaning behind them. Now, I take picture just because I want to take pictures,” Timmermann said.
As a writer and poet, Timmermann finds a close relationship between the two artistic mediums. For her, each picture means a story.
“I took a picture of my grandmother’s backyard of a little angel statue. Then I wrote a poem that was about that picture, but it was also related to my aunt. I gave it to her as a present,” Timmermann said.
For her, the two are interrelated and inspire each other.
“I think they (photography and poetry) go hand in hand in that my pictures inspire my poetry. Writing and doing photography allows me to write things and see them in a way that I probably wouldn’t be able to otherwise,” Timmermann said.
Senior Kazuto Nishimori
Photography began as a simple interest for Nishimori.
“It was very elementary. Let me put it this way. I thought cameras were cool, and I thought lenses were cool. I wanted to operate a big ass camera that’s good. That was basically my first inclination to photography,” Nishimori said.
However, it has grown to be something much more personal. For Nishimori, photography has evolved to become about capturing and immortalizing existentialist moments.
“For me, I refrain from taking a lot of pictures, even on my iPhone. I only take pictures of those special moments. I try to capture each of these precious moments, but because I have few of those, I can really reflect on each when I want to. When I edit them, I can relive the experience,” Nishimori said.
For him, he cannot look for these existentialist moments, but can only be prepared when one shows up. As a result, Nishimori’s works are mostly centered on landscape portrayal of nature of when he travels and stumbles upon these notable moments.
“I take a lot of landscape when I travel. For me, nature is naturally harmonious. To be able to capture the beauty, or to at least bring it home in some capacity, is incredible,” Nishimori said.
Senior Joey Gonnella
For senior Joey Gonnella, photography is simply about realism. As both a painter and a photographer, Gonnella said he believes that photography is about capturing what is there at the moment.
“I have always liked photography because you are capturing life as is. You are not trying to recreate or render what you are seeing. I try to capture obscure and mundane things that I feel often go unnoticed, and people wouldn’t see that it’s beautiful or expect it,” Gonnella said.
Gonnella’s interest for photography stems back to childhood when he loved taking photos of his action figures and toys. However, as he aged, photography has become something much more serious and personal.
“I see photography as an extension of painting, and it became a serious practice of mine,” Gonnella said.
However, Gonnella said he believes the biggest difference between painting and photography is ego.
“I think there is kind of less ego involved in photography. When you look at a great painting, you are distracted by how a human painted it and made it look realistic. With photography, you have to think about what the image is just on its own,” Gonnella said.
Gonnella said photography is ultimately about self-expression as well.
“Photography, for me, is about capturing what one sees. Every photographer has a different way of seeing things, and I think photography is a great way to get into other people’s minds and see how they see the world around them,” Gonnella said.
Junior Moe Wakai
Like Nishimori, junior Moe Wakai sees photography as the medium to capture the perfect moment in life for her and those around her.
“Before I got into film (photography), I was into landscape and nature. Then I took a picture of my boyfriend, just for fun, and it turned out really nice. I thought to myself, ‘If I can take pictures of people I know and make everyone look nice, that would be awesome.’ It’s not about how they appear, but about that one specific moment where everyone can be pretty,” Wakai said.
Wakai is currently enrolled in Photography III with a preference towards film photography rather than digital. According to Wakai, film photography was something special that she could not do at home, and the novelty of it compelled her to pursue the interest. Unlike digital photography where the edits and production of the photos are done on a computer, film photography requires developing film with chemicals in a dark room.
“In photography I, you do both film and digital. I liked both, but film was something special that I could only do at school. It’s super nice to have a dark room at the school,” Wakai said.
Due to the nature of film photography, photography for Wakai is something more permanent.
“It takes a snap of a moment in your life. In drawing, you can do the same, but you also alter it a little bit in your mind. But in photography, you take it and that’s it. Especially in film, you can’t take out the little spots that you don’t want. It’s about appreciating things for what they are,” Wakai said.
Senior Shams Mohajerani
